


Bad Week

by ominousunflower



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette April, Adrinette April 2020, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Season 3 Spoilers, Snekmouse - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:34:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23689276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ominousunflower/pseuds/ominousunflower
Summary: Adrien's long and horrible week ends with a stinging rejection--until he sneaks out as Aspik and runs into an unexpected face.“Hey!” a voice yells from behind him. “What are you doing—I—I mean, who are you?”Aspik whirls around and finds himself face-to-face with…Multimouse?With a frown, Multimouse glances at the jump rope wrapped around her waist. Untying it, she grips one end and weakly whips it toward Aspik. It flops on the ground in front of him like a wet noodle.“AH,” she says. It somehow sounds like a question. “Um. An akuma?”
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 82
Kudos: 659





	Bad Week

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Day 16 (Rejected Heroes) of Adrienette April!
> 
> Two quick notes: First, this kind of takes place post-Season 3, but it doesn't quite follow canon. Here, Adrien is much closer to realizing his feelings for Marinette, and Marinette is still pursuing him romantically. And second, because Snekmouse is incredibly hard to set up, I've decided that Ladybug gave Chat the Snake Miraculous to keep in case of emergencies, since they're not sure if they can still use Viperion after the Season 3 finale.
> 
> Also, I had no idea what prompts to do for Adrienette April, but thanks to maría ([bugabisous](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariafernanda/pseuds/bugabisous)) for telling me to do this one with Snekmouse 😅 I've been wanting to write this pairing for a while!

Adrien groans as he flops face-down on his bed. His room is dim, lit only by moonlight—and right now, he wishes that the darkness could swallow him up, absorb him into shadow and put him out of his misery.

“Well,” Plagg says, somewhere off to his right. “There have been _better_ weeks.”

“Everything was horrible,” Adrien mutters into his pillow.

Adrien Agreste’s week had gone as follows:

  1. Monday, he missed a class fieldtrip to the Louvre, all because his father insisted on scheduling a photoshoot at the same time. 
  2. Tuesday, while Adrien’s father and Tomoe Tsurugi were in an hour-long meeting, Kagami tried to ask Adrien on a date. Naturally, he rejected her, which meant they spent an hour sitting in awkward silence on opposite sides of the sofa.
  3. Wednesday, Adrien had been invited to a jam session with Kitty Section, but apparently the three points he missed on his last math test meant it was more important for him to spend the evening with a tutor.
  4. Thursday, Marinette told Chat Noir that Adrien’s blue scarf had actually been from her, not his father—meaning that Gabriel Agreste, responsible for most of Adrien’s bad week, hadn’t even bothered to give his son a birthday present.



And then today happened. One thing after another, wrong wrong _wrong,_ until Adrien wondered if his Miraculous had somehow cursed him with terrible luck.

First Adrien fell asleep in one of his morning classes, which led him to get chided by Mademoiselle Bustier. Nino patted his shoulder, and Marinette and Alya gave Adrien sympathetic smiles, but that only made him feel more pitiful.

Then, when he was trudging toward his limo after fencing practice—which was incredibly awkward, since his partner was Kagami—Marinette called his name and came running after him.

On any other day, the sight of her soft eyes and kind smile would have lifted Adrien’s spirits. Today, though, he was so exhausted that it barely made a difference. He could feel his face wanting to smile back, and his heart did skip a beat, but that was it.

“Marinette,” Adrien had said. “What’s up?”

“I was—I was wondering…” Marinette glanced away, chewing on her lip. “You can say no, of course, but…”

To his credit, Adrien resisted the urge to tell her to hurry up. He was exhausted. He was irritated. And he was still hurt from the revelation the night before. Even so, it wasn’t _Marinette’s_ fault that Adrien was having a shitty week, so he was trying not to take it out on her.

“Do you want to get ice cream?” Marinette asked, so quickly that Adrien barely understood the words. “If you’re free. Or, um, if you’re not…”

Adrien sighed. “Honestly, I just want to sleep right now. Text me later, and the four of us can set something up?”

“Oh,” Marinette said. “Well, sure. But I…I meant just the two of us?”

Somewhere, beneath the thick layer of exhaustion, Adrien felt a spark of hope in his heart. Was Marinette asking him on a date? His feelings for her had always been complicated, but the moment he realized that she might be asking him out…he wanted to say yes. He wanted to sit next to her on a bench, share a cone from André’s, and rest his head on her shoulder while they spooned the sweet treat into each other’s mouths.

Or, forget the ice cream: he just wanted to sit next to her, curled up against her side as she comforted him about his horrible week. Marinette always had an answer. She’d know how to make him feel better.

Until that moment, Adrien had been completely baffled by his feelings for Marinette. And while he still didn’t quite understand them, he knew one thing: if Marinette was asking him out, his answer was yes.

He had to be sure, though. “Do you mean like a date?” he asked.

That had to be what she meant, right? After a horrible week, Adrien could have this _one_ good thing, couldn’t he?

“Um…” Marinette’s face flushed red. “N-no! Of course not. Um…”

Stupidly, Adrien felt his eyes sting with tears. “So you don’t want to go on a date with me?”

“No! I mean, of course I want to spend time with you, I just—are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Adrien said, voice shaking. “Sorry. I guess I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, Adrien, I didn’t want you to feel _bad._ Um, if it makes you feel better, it could be a date?” She slapped a hand to her forehead. “What am I saying? That makes it sound like…I swear, I’m not…”

“Going on a date with me just to make me feel better?” Adrien asked. “Because that’s how it sounds. If you don’t like me—”

“I do like you!” Marinette insisted. “As a friend. Because…you also like me as a friend? We’re friends, right?”

“Right,” Adrien said bitterly. “Just friends. That’s all anyone ever wants to be.”

Of course, as he said it, he knew he was being stupid. Hadn’t Kagami just asked him out earlier that week? But Adrien didn’t want Kagami. He wanted Marinette—which he only realized five minutes ago. And now, just after that realization, he was getting rejected.

Fantastic.

“We’re not _just_ friends,” Marinette said. “I—”

“I’m tired,” Adrien said. “I need to go home and take a nap.”

“Okay,” Marinette said. She kept smiling, but Adrien could see her eyes getting tight with worry. “Um, is there anything else I can do? If there’s any way I can help…”

And then, Adrien spoke the words he didn’t mean—the words that the stupid, immature part of his brain came up with, the part that has never known how to handle rejection: “You’ve already done enough.”

Marinette’s face fell, and Adrien immediately wanted to take the words back. In fact, he was going to, but he didn’t get the chance.

“I’m so sorry,” Marinette said, taking a step back. Her eyes shone, and she gave him a wobbly smile. “I—I didn’t mean to make things worse. I know you’ve had a long week. I…I’ll leave you alone now. Take care, Adrien.”

Then she scurried away before Adrien could stop her, leaving him with only his biggest mistake of the week for company.

And was that the end of Adrien’s awful week? No, of course not. He wouldn’t be a real black cat if his bad luck ended there.

Back at the mansion that evening, as Adrien pushed his dinner around his plate, he heard a scream. Five seconds later, his phone buzzed with an akuma alert, and he found himself running upstairs to transform.

Chat Noir fought terribly. He almost got himself hit by the akuma, saved only by Ladybug’s speedy yo-yoing. He couldn’t get his tail unattached from his costume when Ladybug asked for it, which delayed her Lucky Charm solution by precious seconds. At one point, he just froze up, every crushing disappointment from the past week overwhelming him. The battle lasted over an hour, until the sky was dark and Chat could barely stand.

“Chat,” Ladybug said, after using Miraculous Ladybug. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he said, as tears pricked his eyes. “I’m just—I’m sorry, Ladybug. Everything has gone wrong this week. This is just my latest screw-up.” He sniffed. “I’m sorry. I almost made us lose.”

“No, Chat,” Ladybug said. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

For a moment, he thought maybe he should confide in her. Not enough to give away his identity—just enough to make his head stop spinning.

“Ladybug,” Chat said. “Can I talk to you about it? I just—I’ve had a lot happen this week, and it’s stupid, but I need someone to talk to.”

Ladybug’s mouth twisted into a frown. “Um—”

Then her earrings beeped loudly, cutting off whatever she’d been about to say. Probably, _No, Chat, I don’t have time for that._

“Never mind,” Chat said. “Sorry, I know. Secret identities. And—and you’re busy. I’m sure you have better things to do. I can deal with it myself.” Just in case Ladybug felt compelled to sacrifice her time to deal with his problems, he added, “I don’t really want to talk to you about it, anyway. So, um, have a good night.”

“Chat, wait—”

He didn’t wait. He stumbled back to his room and detransformed, then threw himself onto his bed—which is where he’s lying now, as Plagg unsuccessfully tries to reassure him.

“Maybe you should have something to eat,” Plagg says. “Cheese always makes me feel better, and I know your tastes aren’t as good as mine, but—”

“I feel sick,” Adrien mumbles. “I don’t want to eat.”

“Not even something sweet?” Plagg asks. “We could sneak down to the kitchen, see if we could find some dessert. Or you could transform and visit Marinette—”

“No!” Adrien says, as tears wet his pillow. “No, I hurt her. And she rejected me.” He gives a hoarse laugh. “I like her, and I’ve been denying it, and I finally realized it only for her to _reject_ me, and you’re probably laughing at me right now for being so dense—”

“I’m not laughing.”

“I can’t go see Marinette,” Adrien says. “And I can’t go out as Chat Noir. Ladybug will try to talk to me if she sees me, and I—I can’t face her right now. Not after messing up the battle and crying in front of her.” He groans. “I’m so pathetic.”

“There is another option,” a new voice says. Adrien dimly registers that it’s Sass, floating off somewhere to his left. “Although I’m not sure it’s very wise.”

“Well, that’s ironic, coming from you,” Plagg says. “That would be like me suggesting creative outlets.”

Adrien lifts his mucus-filled face from the pillow to squint in Plagg’s direction. “Didn’t you tell me last week that I should take up cheese carving?”

“That’s different,” Plagg says. “Cheese is always the exception.”

“I wouldn’t normally make suggestions,” Sass says. “I’m reluctant to interfere in the relationship between you and Adrien as kwami and Chat Noir. But it seems to me that in the interest of Adrien’s emotional health, it might be beneficial to transform and stretch his legs.” He lets out a hissing laugh. “Although, snakes don’t exactly have legs.”

Adrien props himself up on his elbows, twisting his head to face Sass. “You mean as Aspik?”

“You don’t want Ladybug to see Chat Noir right now,” Sass says. “And languishing in your room could increase your chances of akumatization. The best solution seems to be that you should use the Snake Miraculous as an outlet.”

Plagg snorts. “That’s incredibly irresponsible, and Tikki would definitely object,” he says. “Which is to say, I completely approve.”

Adrien rubs his sleeve across his face, wetting it with snot and tears. “You don’t mind, Sass? I’m sorry, I know I don’t take you out often. Ladybug said to save Snake Noir for emergencies, so…”

“I don’t mind,” Sass says. “However, there are some precautions we should take. For instance—"

“Don’t talk to Ladybug?” Adrien says. “I wasn’t going to, anyway.”

“You should also avoid—”

“Right, I know. Sass, transforme-moi!”

Adrien doesn’t catch the last bit of Sass’s words, though he can guess most of what he was going to say. Avoid the press, avoid staying out for too long, and avoid using Second Chance for non-emergencies.

He knows the rules. He’ll be careful.

The transformation washes over Adrien, and he feels his hair being encased in Aspik’s cap. After the teal glow fades, he sighs and flops down on his bed again.

“I don’t feel any better,” he says.

“Oh, no,” Plagg says. “If you’re going to do something stupid, at least follow through.” He darts forward, and his paws scrabble against Asipk’s arm, failing to get purchase on the suit. “Come on, let’s go. I want to see what goes wrong.”

“Don’t say that,” Aspik groans, sitting up. “This week has solely consisted of things going wrong. I can’t afford to mess this up.”

Plagg shrugs. “I doubt it will be that bad.”

Sighing, Aspik pushes himself to his feet and crosses over to his window. “I really wish I had my staff right now.”

“Since Sass is not here, I’ll pretend to be responsible,” Plagg says. He clears his throat. “You shouldn’t do that, Adrien. Combining Miraculouses would drain you, and you’re already in a bad headspace.” Done dispensing wisdom, he makes a gagging sound, almost like he’s going to throw up a hairball. “Is that how Tikki feels all the time, being the responsible one? I hate it.”

Laughing, Aspik scratches Plagg’s head. “Thanks, Plagg. And don’t worry, I’m not going to combine you and Sass. I think I can get down from here.”

Aspik opens his window and climbs outside, feeling the evening air wrap around him in a chilly embrace. Adrenaline warms his muscles as he climbs around the side of the mansion and leaps to the tree overlooking the mansion wall.

Sass was right. He _did_ need to get out of his room. Already, Aspik can feel his mind getting a bit clearer, the power of the Miraculous sharpening everything around him. He’s glad he didn’t stay at home to mope.

Laughing, Aspik slides down the tree and races into the nearest alleyway, then leaps up the wall and begins climbing up to the roof of the building. It’s good that the Snake grants him increased strength like the other Miraculouses, or else he wouldn’t be able to get around without his staff.

Once Aspik is standing on a rooftop, instinct takes over. He races toward the edge of the roof and leaps, his feet carrying him onto the next roof. The familiar houses and streets of Paris stretch out before him like a map being unfurled, and Aspik shuts off his mind and begins running one of his favorite routes.

His run takes him across the buildings lining the Seine, allowing him to see the way the half-moon sparkles on the water. Aspik spots a few people strolling along the river, their words and laughter dancing through the air to his ears. (Even though his ears are covered by the mask, he finds that his hearing is just as clear as ever. Magic, he supposes.)

Next, Aspik races past some restaurants and cafés, savoring the smell of spices and herbs that fill the air. The scents make his stomach growl, though, reminding him that he barely touched his dinner.

He sighs. He can’t very well get food as Aspik or Adrien Agreste. Chat Noir, maybe—but he refuses to consider that as an option right now.

“I smell cheese,” Plagg whines, startling Aspik. He’d forgotten that Plagg was flying alongside him. “Maybe if I just go down there…”

“No,” Aspik says. He pinches Plagg from the sky and holds him in his hands. “I don’t want you causing chaos where I can’t supervise you.”

“But that’s the _best_ place to cause chaos.”

“Plagg.”

“Also, I was thinking,” Plagg says. “What are you going to tell Ladybug if she sees Aspik? She gave the Snake Miraculous to Chat Noir, not Adrien.”

Aspik’s stomach turns at the thought of seeing Ladybug, or anyone else he knows. He just wants to run and forget his worries for a few minutes, blending anonymously into the night. “Then I’ll tell her Chat Noir wasn’t feeling well, and sent me to patrol,” Aspik says. “It’s basically true.”

“Do you think she’ll buy that?”

After Chat Noir’s teary departure following the akuma attack? Aspik feels like it’s a pretty believable cover story.

But he doesn’t want to dwell on that memory for too long. Shrugging, he takes off at an even faster pace than before.

Aspik runs, and jumps, and even cartwheels a few times, moving continuously so that he doesn’t have time to think. He thinks so little, in fact, that he doesn’t realize that running on autopilot has landed him on the roof closest to Marinette’s balcony.

Right. One of his favorite routes—because it leads to one of his favorite people.

Tonight, though, Aspik doesn’t want to see this particular person. Not after what he said to her that afternoon.

“You do realize you’re not Chat Noir right now?” Plagg says.

Aspik mutters a curse. Panic fluttering in his stomach, he takes a step backward, eyes scanning the bakery for any sign of Marinette. Something shifts in the air as he does, and his snake senses detect heat nearby.

Body heat.

“Hey!” a voice yells from behind him. “What are you doing—I—I mean, who are you?”

Aspik whirls around and finds himself face-to-face with…Multimouse?

“Mar—I mean, Mult—I mean…” Aspik stares at Multimouse with wide eyes, and it dawns on him that he’s not supposed to know who she is. “Um.”

Why is Marinette running around transformed as Multimouse? Why would Ladybug give her the Miraculous, especially after saying that Marinette could never use it again? It doesn’t make any sense—except it does. Of course Aspik’s horrible luck meant that he would run into the one person he can’t bear to see right now.

With a frown, Multimouse glances at the jump rope wrapped around her waist. Untying it, she grips one end and weakly whips it toward Aspik. It flops on the ground in front of him like a wet noodle.

“AH,” she says. It somehow sounds like a question. “Um. An akuma?”

Aspik considers it fortunate that Marinette is pursuing a career in fashion, not acting—because although she is wonderful and amazing at many things, acting is not one of them.

He wonders why she’s pretending to think that he’s an akuma, when she should be able to figure out that he’s a Miraculous user. Then again, everyone in Paris knows that Viperion is the Snake Miraculous holder, so it makes sense that Multimouse might think Aspik is a Volpina-esque villain. (That still doesn’t explain why it feels like she’s acting, though.)

Aspik grimaces. “No, I…I’m Aspik. I’m sort of Viperion’s replacement, but I’m patrolling for Chat Noir right now. He wasn’t feeling well and asked me to cover for him.” He offers a weak smile. “Sorry if I scared you.”

Multimouse’s eyes dart around. She looks downright adorable in her confusion. “But—I—so there’s not an akuma?”

“I was going to ask you that,” Aspik says. “Why are you running around, if there’s no akuma?”

“How do you know _I’m_ not an akuma?” Multimouse asks, squinting at him.

“Because you’re too cute to be one,” Aspik says, then freezes.

What? No. Bad. Where did that come from? He’s Aspik right now, not Adrien! As far as Multimouse knows, he’s a complete stranger. And even if he _was_ Adrien, he can’t very well flirt with the girl who rejected him earlier. That’s not the right way to do things.

“I—excuse me?” Multimouse says. “Y-you—you don’t even know my name.”

“Multimouse,” Aspik says, because he wants her to be impressed that he’s heard of her. “Chat Noir mentioned you once. You fit his description, so…”

“And what exactly was his description?”

“Um.” Aspik blinks. “Contagious smile, adorable hair buns, and very sensitive about height jokes?”

Multimouse groans and rolls her eyes. “Yeah. That sounds like Chat.” She squeaks. “Chat! Does that mean you saw him tonight? Where was he heading? Is he still out?”

Aspik frowns. “Well, like I said, he wasn’t feeling well, so…I’m guessing he went home. He said he’d collect my Miraculous in the morning.”

Multimouse’s shoulders slump, and even though she hasn’t _said_ that it’s Aspik’s fault, he still feels like he’s let her down all over again. “Oh,” she says. “I was kind of hoping to see him, but I guess it makes sense that he went home.”

“Are you a Chat Noir fan?” Aspik asks.

“No!” Multimouse says. Aspik flinches, preparing to add that to his long list of rejections—but then Multimouse hastily adds, “I mean, yes! I like Chat a lot. We’re friends, actually. But I don’t want to see him because I’m a fan.” She sighs and starts wrapping her tail back around her waist. “Ladybug said she was worried about him after today’s akuma battle, but apparently he didn’t want to talk to her. She thought maybe he’d be more comfortable talking to me.”

Aspik stares at Multimouse. “She was that worried?”

“We both were,” Multimouse huffs. She takes a step toward him. “How was Chat when you saw him?”

“Fine,” Aspik says. “Great, actually! I mean, he said he’d had a long week, and I think he was coming down with something, but otherwise, he’s fine.” He rubs the back of his neck. “Maybe Ladybug misread something he said?”

“I didn’t—I mean, I don’t think so,” Multimouse says. “I saw him last night. He seemed really upset when he left, and Ladybug said he was worse today. I think something’s wrong.”

Now more than ever, Aspik wishes he didn’t have two secret identities to hide from Marinette. He’d love to tell her that he’s Chat, that he’s fine and cares about her too—and he’d love to tell her that he’s Adrien, and that he’s sorry for every hurtful word he said that afternoon.

But he can’t tell her any of that, so instead he says, “Well! I mean, it’s not really our business, I guess. I’m sure he’ll figure it out.”

Multimouse’s hands curl into fists. “It’s completely my business! He’s my pa—my friend. Like I said.” Her tail droops on the ground behind her. “Is it me? I feel like I keep making my friends upset. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Hugging her arms to herself, she stares at the rooftop below her feet.

“No!” Aspik bursts out. “Of course not, Mar—Multimouse. I can’t imagine that. Your friends are probably just being dumb.”

Multimouse lifts her head to glare at Aspik, sending a shudder through him. Mice might not be predators, but those are the eyes of someone who could tear him apart. “Don’t you dare say that,” she says. “They aren’t dumb! They’re struggling with things, and I...I can’t do anything to help them.”

Aspik’s heart aches at seeing Marinette so dejected. Not only did he hurt her earlier that afternoon—but he _continues_ to hurt her, because she wants to help him and can’t. “Hey,” he says, taking a step toward her. “It’s okay! I’m sure they—”

His stomach gurgles, interrupting him.

Multimouse’s eyes flick down to Aspik’s abdomen. “Are you…hungry?”

“Oh, uh…” Aspik smiles helplessly. “I didn’t eat dinner. I wasn’t really in the mood to eat earlier.”

Gaze softening, Multimouse takes a step toward Aspik, until she’s close enough that he can make out the blue of her eyes. “You’re having a bad night, too?”

Aspik glances away. “W-well, I mean…it’s fine.”

Lips pressed together, Multimouse nods as if she’s come to a decision. “Alright. Stay here. I’ll detransform and stop by a restaurant to get you something to eat.”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to,” Aspik says. “I—I mean, I could do that for myself.”

Multimouse raises an eyebrow. “If you could do it for yourself, you’d have done it already.” Winking, she leaps off the roof and disappears from sight.

Once she’s gone, Aspik drops to the roof and sprawls out on his back, eyes fixed unseeingly on the stars overhead. “I can’t believe this.”

“I know,” Plagg says gleefully, floating above him. His tiny body blocks out the moon. “What are the odds?”

“I’m horrible,” Aspik says. “Marinette’s miserable because she’s worried about me. About _both_ of me.”

“I think she wants to date you,” Plagg says. “But maybe that’s just me.”

“That’s just you,” Aspik grumbles. “Please, Plagg. I’m pretty sure she likes someone else, so…let’s just leave it at that.”

“Fine,” Plagg says. “If you want to be dense, that’s your choice. I’m going to go hide somewhere and think about cheese.”

With that, Plagg flies away. Alone, Aspik closes his eyes and focuses on the cool night air, trying to keep his heartrate from speeding up too much. He needs to stay calm if he’s going to talk to Multimouse without blowing his identity.

As he waits, his stomach growls again, demanding her presence. Aspik mentally wills it to shush.

Several minutes later, he hears quiet footsteps on the roof and senses the heat of a body. Yawning, he sits up to greet Multimouse.

“Did you fall asleep?” she asks, smiling. “Um, here. I got you a sandwich? It’s from a café I like, and I knew it was pretty fast, so…”

Aspik takes the brown paper bag from her and peers inside. “Thanks, Multimouse. You really didn’t have to.”

Multimouse shrugs, then sits down on the roof beside him. “You looked like you could use a pick-me-up.”

Aspik barks out a laugh. “Is it that obvious?”

“Well.” Multimouse smiles. “That, and your stomach was growling.”

Nodding, Aspik reaches into the bag and pulls out the sandwich. He can’t quite tell what’s in it, but it smells like tomato and pesto, and he can see cheese peeking out from the bread, which is good enough for him.

He just hopes the cheese doesn’t catch Plagg’s attention.

“So,” Multimouse says. “Um, once you finish eating, do you want some company?”

The sandwiches crunches as Aspik bites into the toasted bread. “Company for what?” he mumbles, mouth full.

“Your patrol?”

Chewing, Aspik nods. Right. He’d forgotten that he lied and said he was on patrol. “Sure,” he says, once he swallows. “If you don’t mind. I know you wanted to look for Chat, so…”

“Well, I found you,” Multimouse says. “And I could be wrong, but I don’t think it’s just hunger that’s got you upset. I won’t pry! If you want to talk, though, I’m all ears.” Smiling, she taps her hair buns, which are shaped like mouse ears.

Aspik laughs. Has Marinette always been this adorable? Yes. Definitely yes. All those times he wondered if Marinette was Ladybug—he thinks that might have been wishful thinking. 

It stings a little, knowing that he got rejected by someone as wonderful as her, but it also warms his heart that she’s trying so hard to comfort a near-stranger. He’s lucky to have her in his life.

He eats in silence for a minute, content to enjoy Multimouse’s company. When he’s about half-finished with his sandwich, he finally says, “I’ve been having a bad week, is all. It feels like everything went wrong. And…” He hesitates, not sure if he should talk to Marinette about herself. “There’s this girl I’m friends with. She tried to make me feel better—um, kind of like you’re doing—and instead of being gracious, I snapped at her and hurt her.”

Aspik stares down at the sandwich in his hands, afraid to meet Multimouse’s eyes. If he does, he’ll end up spilling everything to her. He knows he will.

“Ad—Aspik,” Multimouse says, gently touching his wrist. “I’m sure she understands. Everyone has bad days, and no one’s perfect.”

“Has that ever happened to you?” Aspik asks. He glances at her from the corner of his eye. “Where you tried to help a friend, and they shut you down?”

“Well…” Multimouse frowns and stares at the roof across from them. “Yes. But I’m not mad at him! I know he was having a bad week. I just didn’t realize how bad until I talked to him.”

While she’s not looking, Aspik picks off a tiny bit of cheese from his sandwich and tosses it over his shoulder for Plagg to catch. “You don’t have to go easy on your friend,” Aspik says. “He’s not here right now. You can say what you’re really thinking.”

Multimouse shakes her head. “That’s what I’m really thinking, though. I had horrible timing, and I feel bad. He clearly had the worst week ever.” Pulling her knees to her chest, she rests her chin on top of them. “And I was about to ask him out! Can you believe how selfish that would have been? So I didn’t.”

“Wait,” Aspik says, turning to face her. “You were going to ask him out?”

She has to be talking about Adrien, right? He doesn’t want to get his hopes up _again,_ but who else could she mean?

Multimouse tilts her head to the side. “Why do you sound so surprised?”

“Um.” Aspik turns back to his sandwich. He thinks he might hear Plagg cackling somewhere behind him, although maybe he’s just imagining it. “I mean, you said you were _about_ to ask him out. So it sounds like you didn’t?”

“No,” Multimouse says. “First I chickened out, and then I realized he was having a bad day—so then I figured I should definitely save it for another time. But then I made him more upset.”

“That wasn’t your fault!” Aspik blurts out. “That—I mean…”

“How would you know?” Multimouse asks. There’s a curious smile tugging at her lips, almost like she wants to believe this stranger who’s assuring her that she did nothing wrong.

Afraid to compromise his identity, Aspik takes another bite of his sandwich and slowly chews. “Well,” he says, mouth half-full. “He was having a bad day, so anything would have made him upset. If you’d actually asked him out, he probably would have found another reason to be sad about it. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Maybe.” Multimouse shifts her weight so that she’s sitting on her knees, then leans toward Aspik. “But now he’ll never say yes if I ask him out for real, right?”

Aspik barely resists the urge to yell _TAKE ME, I’M YOURS,_ because that would definitely qualify as compromising his identity, and Ladybug would definitely kill him for that. “I…I think he would,” he says. “Actually, I was in a really, _really_ similar situation once. Pretty recently, actually.”

“Yeah?” Multimouse says. She blinks, her lips parting slightly. “So you think he’d say yes?”

“If I were him,” Aspik says, “I wouldn’t be mad at you. And if you asked me out on Monday, I’d say yes.” Blushing, he takes a casual bite of his sandwich. “I mean. If I were him.”

“Oh,” Multimouse squeaks, and Aspik almost kisses her right then and there. Almost, because he’s eating a sandwich, and that takes precedence. “I…I’ll keep that in mind.”

Aspik goes back to eating his sandwich in silence, his cheeks burning with a light blush. He’s not sure how long he’s had feelings for Marinette without realizing them, but now that he’s _aware_ of them, sitting next to her is torture.

It’s different from pining after Ladybug, which always felt like a long-shot, never a concrete possibility. Marinette is his close friend on both sides of the mask, someone he could imagine dating and marrying and buying a hamster with and—

And now his stomach is fluttering, his face hot as he remembers that other thing he could do with Marinette: kissing.

His body itches. He wants to chuck the rest of his sandwich off the roof and kiss her now _,_ no delay, without even waiting to swallow the bite of food he’s currently chewing. And that’s gross, and disgusting, and he would never _actually_ kiss her with food in his mouth, but it’s a testament to how badly he wants to. Adrien Agreste has gone all his life without kissing Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and he’s not sure he can wait a second longer.

Somehow, he manages to finish his sandwich with his sanity intact. Standing, he crumples up the bag and searches for the nearest trash can. His eyes land on a tell-tale green bag dangling from a post across the street, and he winds his arm back, preparing to make the throw.

“Do you really think you can make that?” Multimouse asks. “It’s kind of far away.”

“I play basketball,” Aspik says, confident that this will impress her.

He throws the crumpled-up bag, then watches as it flies halfway to the trashcan and flutters to the street below.

Cringing, he turns to glance at Multimouse. He could be wrong, but he is almost certain that this did not impress her.

Multimouse snorts. “Nice attempt.”

Despite the failure, Aspik finds himself smiling. “I promise I’m better at shooting hoops.”

“I hope so, or all that basketball practice is going to waste.” Multimouse nudges Aspik with her elbow, then hops off the building and chases after the paper bag as it’s blown down the street.

She returns a moment later, hands on her hips as she stares him down. “You know,” she says, and she sounds a lot like Ladybug when she’s exasperated with Chat. The thought makes him blush. “It would have been easier if you just carried the trash down there.”

Grinning, Aspik folds his arms behind his head. He decides he can afford to be a bit of a cad—after all, Multimouse doesn’t know that he’s Adrien. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Multimouse’s mouth pinches in a frown, but Aspik can tell from her sparkling eyes that she’s not really mad. “And here I thought you were a sweetheart,” she says.

Immediately, Aspik drops his arms. “W-wait, you did?”

“No! I mean, I barely know you, so—but you’re very sweet, obviously—I was just…never mind.”

For a moment, Aspik completely forgets how to form a sentence. Does Multimouse really like Aspik so soon after meeting him? He can’t stop himself from smiling at the thought. She likes him. She really, truly likes him, even when most of his face is covered and his signature blond locks are tucked under a cap.

“I think you’re sweet, too,” Aspik finally says. “You didn’t have to buy me a sandwich and keep me company, but you did.”

He makes a mental note to buy lunch or coffee for Marinette sometime to return the favor. That shouldn’t be too hard, if she asks him on a date.

Or, wait…would she be offended if he paid for her meal? Marinette’s independent. She probably doesn’t want Adrien to take care of things for her. Worse, she might think he’s flaunting his wealth. She doesn’t like that sort of thing, right? Oh, god, what if Adrien gets a date with Marinette only to screw things up and make her dump him?

“Aspik?” Multimouse says. “Are you alright? You look a little distressed.”

“I’m fine!” Aspik says, far too loudly to pass as _person who is fine._ “Let’s patrol?”

From then on, Aspik can’t remember why he thought his week was so bad. Patrolling with Multimouse is fun, and freeing, and he wishes he could do it every night. Of course, patrols with Ladybug are always fun, too—but there’s something different about patrolling alongside someone who really _knows_ him in his everyday life. Someone who might ask him out on Monday, if everything goes as planned.

And if she doesn’t, he’ll just ask her out. And then he and Marinette will be dating. Marinette Dupain-Cheng will be his _girlfriend._

“Aspik!” Multimouse yelps.

 _Who’s Aspik?_ he thinks, just before his face slams into a wall.

“Oh, no,” Multimouse mutters. Soft fingers grip his face, turning his head to look at her. “Are you alright? I don’t think you’re bleeding—I guess the Miraculouses protect us from some injuries—”

“I’m fine,” Aspik says, wriggling his face. It feels sore and stiff, which makes sense considering that he just bashed it off a brick wall. “Sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Multimouse giggles. “Clearly. Something on your mind?”

Her gloved palms are still cupping his face, pinning his gaze to hers. Aspik’s heartbeat speeds up, and his cheeks burn with their hottest blush yet.

“N-no,” Aspik says. “No one! I mean, nothing. Um, I mean...”

He frowns and searches his mind for coherent thoughts.

 _I WOULD LIKE TO KISS MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG,_ his mind responds.

Well, he can’t very well say _that._

“Do you want to talk about it?” Multimouse offers. “I thought maybe some exercise would help clear your mind, but if you’d rather vent…” Smiling, she taps her mouse-ear buns.

 _Does kissing count as exercise?_ Aspik’s brain asks. _Let’s try kissing._

“Exercise is great!” Aspik says. “Which is why I do it every day. Uh, do you want to race to the Eiffel Tower?”

In answer, Multimouse takes off in the direction of the famous monument.

“H-hey!” Aspik says. “I didn’t say you could get a head start!”

“Better hurry up, if you want to catch this mouse!” Multimouse calls over her shoulder.

Predictably, she beats him to the Eiffel Tower, so they spend the next hour racing to different spots, trying to find shortcuts to beat each other. Aspik wins once or twice, but Multimouse wins most of the rounds since she’s faster and a better planner. (She’s also pretty. And cute. And sweet. And, Aspik suspects, very, _very_ kissable.)

After that, they spend some time playing jump rope with Multimouse’s tail, trying to see who can get the higher score. Halfway through one of her runs, though, Multimouse suddenly stops.

“Wait,” she says, grinning. “I have an idea.”

“Oh?” Aspik asks. He’s still catching his breath from the 514 jumps in a row he did—or 513, according to Multimouse, but obviously Aspik has more practice counting to high numbers.

“Do you know what the Mouse Miraculous does?” Multimouse asks. “I guess you do, if Chat Noir mentioned me to you.”

Aspik decides to play semi-dumb. “It makes you small, right? Like Ant-Man?”

As expected, Multimouse smiles triumphantly. “That’s part of it. But actually, it allows me to multiply myself.” She raises an eyebrow. “You know. _Multi-_ mouse?”

“Oh!” Aspik says. “You know, that does make sense. I just assumed it was because you’re _multi-_ talented.”

Multimouse’s eyes widen, and thanks to his bizarre snake powers, Aspik can _feel_ her cheeks heating with a blush. “Um, I’m not—I’m not that special! But thank you.”

 _You’re definitely special, Marinette,_ Aspik wants to say. Fortunately, he has just enough presence of mind to keep those words from leaving his mouth. “So…you can make multiple Multimouses?” He frowns. “Or is it Multimice?”

“That’s right!” Multimouse says. “One second.” She takes a deep breath, then calls out, “Multitude!”

Light envelops her, and once it fades, there are two half-sized Multimouses standing in front of Aspik.

“So cute,” he breathes, before he can stop himself. “So _tiny.”_

Split into two, the Multimouses only come up to his stomach. They’re adorable. He wants to hug them, but valiantly resists the urge.

“Hey!” the Multimouse on the right says. “Didn’t Chat Noir tell you I don’t like height jokes?”

Aspik laughs. “I’m sorry. But…” He holds a hand against his stomach, demonstrating how far up she comes. “You’re adorable.”

Both Multimouses grumble. “Okay,” the one on the right says. “I’m the main Multimouse, so if you’re going to talk or flirt, say it to me.”

“I’m not flirting!” Aspik say, holding up his hands. “I just think you’re cute.”

The Multimouses glare at him, arms folded. “Do you still want to hear my idea?” Multimouse asks.

“Yes,” Aspik says, “Yes, sorry.”

Nodding, she unties her tail and hands it to the other Multimouse. The second Multimouse knots it to a pipe on the wall, then walks backward, straightening it out.

“We can both jump this way,” Multimouse says. She grabs Aspik’s hand and pulls him toward the rope resting on the ground. “That’s more fun, isn’t it? Or is it stupid? Now that I think about it—”

“It’s great,” Aspik says. “You’re great. Really.” She doesn’t just apply her cleverness to problem-solving—she uses it for fun, too. He’s falling more in love with her by the minute. “But I feel like I have an unfair advantage.”

“What do you…” Multimouse frowns. “Is this another comment about my height?”

Aspik swallows a laugh. “My legs are, like, three times the length of yours.”

“I hope you trip,” Multimouse mutters. “Come on! Let’s try it.”

Jumping with Multimouse _is_ more fun—although she’s not within kissing distance, since she’s barely the height of his stomach. Still, he enjoys watching her try different tricks, handstands and flips that she then implores him to copy. Of course, his tricks are mediocre at best. While the Snake Miraculous does offer him some increased flexibility, it doesn’t make him as nimble as Multimouse, nor does it erase the fact that he can’t stop getting distracted by how _cute_ she is. 

Things quickly go downhill when Multimouse adds her own tail to the mix, resulting in Aspik desperately flailing to avoid the dueling ropes.

“You know,” Multimouse says, executing a flawless handspring. “It must be hard to do all these tricks with that big clumsy body of yours. That’s why you keep tripping, right?”

Demonstrating her point, Aspik trips over the jump ropes and nearly face-plants. “You’re mean,” he says, which is an _excellent_ comeback, in his opinion.

“You started it,” Multimouse says, laughing. “Do you want to keep going, or are you done?”

Aspik steps aside and flops onto his back. “I’m done. Keep going if you want, but I need a break.”

Multimouse’s necklace starts beeping, though, signaling that she doesn’t have long until she detransforms. “One second,” she says. She calls an end to her power, fusing back into one person. “Don’t look. I need to recharge my kwami.”

Looking wouldn’t make a difference, since Aspik already knows who she is—but he can’t exactly reveal that, so he keeps his eyes on the sky as pink light washes over the rooftop. 

A minute later, there’s another flash of light. Multimouse sits next to Aspik and peers down at him with a smile. “Didn’t basketball practice give you more stamina?”

“Hush,” Aspik says, diaphragm shaking with a laugh. He hasn’t been this happy all week. “Not all of us are master gymnasts.”

“I’m actually not a gymnast,” Multimouse says. “But I appreciate the compliment.” She yawns, then leans back so that she’s lying next to Aspik. “Feeling better? Or do you need to talk some more?”

Aspik smiles at her. Is this what it will be like, dating Marinette? Goofing off, bantering, lying next to each other and talking late into the night? He wants that. He really, really wants that.

“I’m fine now,” Aspik says. “Thank you, really. This cheered me up a lot.”

Multimouse yawns again, her stretched jaw garbling her next words. “I can stay longer, if you want.”

“No, no,” Aspik says. “You can go. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive!” Aspik says, sitting up. “It’s getting pretty late, and don’t you have to help out in the bakery tomorrow morning? I can walk you back to your balc—uh. I mean...”

Multimouse jerks into a sitting position. “What?”

Aspik’s stomach drops, and his chest constricts with dread. No, no. The night had been going so well—but of _course_ he messed it up. Everything else this week has gone wrong, so why would his evening with Multimouse go any better? Now he’s gone and ruined things.

“Nothing!” Aspik says. “I said nothing. Um, did you use Multitude again? Weird! It—it almost sounds like there’s another person here, saying things that make absolutely no sense.”

Eyes wide, Multimouse scrambles to her feet. “Aspik, what did you say?”

“I think you misheard?” Aspik says. He’s pretty sure he can feel sweat dampening his suit, making it stick uncomfortably to his skin. “I said…um, that I'm going to go to a bakery tomorrow morning. Do you have any good recommendations? I hear the Dupain-Chengs are—”

“You said that I work at a bakery.”

“Do you?” Aspik asks. Despite his extensive experience with hiding a secret identity—and his brief stint as a voice actor—he finds himself sounding utterly unconvincing. He’s also about ten seconds away from crying in frustration. “I had no idea. Maybe I should go to yours tomorrow? No, wait, don’t tell me—”

“And you mentioned my balcony,” Multimouse says. “Oh, no. You know who I am, don’t you?”

“N-no, of course not—”

“Do you?”

Aspik freezes, pinned by Multimouse’s blazing blue eyes. “Is that so bad?” he asks quietly. “If I do?”

“Oh, no,” Multimouse mutters. She begins pacing back and forth, which makes Aspik feel like he’s just been thrown off the roof. “This entire time I’ve been—but you—that means you know!”

“I—I know who you are, yes. I thought we covered—”

“You know who I was talking about earlier!” Multimouse says. “When we were talking about my friend, and I said that…that I want to ask him…”

Aspik’s reptile brain tries and fails to understand why Multimouse is panicking. To his relief, she doesn’t seem mad that he knows she’s Marinette—but is she really worried that he’ll tell Adrien about her plans to ask him out? First of all, he’s not that kind of person, and second of all, Multimouse has no reason to think that Aspik knows she’s talking about Adrien. As far as Multimouse knows, Aspik is a complete stranger who doesn’t know about the conversation between Marinette and Adrien that afternoon.

“Marinette,” he says softly. Saying the name feels wrong, like a violation of trust—but it gets her to stop pacing, at least. “It’s fine. I’m not going to tell anyone your identity. Plus, I don’t know what friend you’re planning to ask out, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell him.”

“But you do know!” Multimouse says. Before Aspik can object, she adds, “I just…how? How did you know who I am?”

“Um.” Aspik reflects for a brief moment, then decides to throw half of himself under the bus. “Chat Noir let it slip?”

“That’s a lie,” Multimouse declares. “He would never. He’s too careful for that. I’m the only person who’s ever let my identity slip—in fact, that’s how Chat found out.” She squeaks, then wrings her hands. “Did I say something to give myself away? I was trying to be careful, but…”

“No, no!” Aspik says. “You didn’t say anything. Um, actually, I think Ladybug told me—”

“Don’t even finish that sentence,” Multimouse says.

“I, uh—I’d recognize that cute face anywhere?” Aspik tries.

“Adrien!” Multimouse bursts out. “This isn’t…funny…”

Aspik’s brain stops working, and he suddenly understands how Multimouse must have felt twenty seconds ago. “Uh. How did you—I mean, that…”

Deny? Flee? Confess? No, with those earnest blue eyes fixed on him, he knows that there’s only one option. 

Aspik sighs. “Yeah. I’m Adrien.”

He squeezes his eyes shut, afraid to see the look in Multimouse's eyes. Because now she knows that he’s the boy who said those cruel things to her earlier, the boy who took advantage of knowing her identity to ask her what she really thought about him.

“I know, Adrien,” Multimouse says. “I’ve known the whole time. But if I had known that _you_ knew, I never would have told you about…about…”

“Marinette, it’s fine," Aspik says, as his mind races to keep up with the conversation.

She’s known the whole time? Well, that makes Aspik feel slight slightly less bad for asking her how she feels about Adrien. After all, hadn’t _she_ asked _him_ what he would say if his friend asked him out? That means she already knows what his answer is going to be.

“No, it’s _not_ fine,” Multimouse says. “Because now you know that I was going to ask you out! Can you imagine how embarrassed I am right now?”

Aspik frowns. “There’s really no need to be embarrassed.”

“My life is ruined,” Multimouse says. “I told my crush about my crush on him! I’ll have to move out of the country.”

“Marinette,” Aspik says, laughing. There’s something endearing about her catastrophizing. “What’s the problem? You already know what I’m going to say if you ask me out.”

Multimouse pauses. Her eyes dart away as her brow scrunches, nose wrinkled in a way that’s inhumanly cute. For the fiftieth time that night, Aspik really wants to kiss her.

“I said that I was going to ask you out,” she says, “and you said that if your friend—who’s me—asked you out, then…you would say yes?”

“Yes,” Aspik says.

“So, wait,” Multimouse says, fiddling with her tail. “Is…is that a yes?”

“Yes?”

There’s a pause, and for a moment, Aspik thinks that everything is settled. Then Multimouse groans and starts frantically tugging at her hair buns.

“Oh, no!” she says. “No, no, no! This isn’t how I envisioned it at all. I wasn’t supposed to ask you out indirectly! I was supposed to finally get up the courage to do it to your face—not Aspik’s face, but _Adrien’s_ face—”

“It’s the same face,” Aspik says, mouth twitching.

“You’re wearing a mask,” Multimouse says. “And you’re hairless.”

“Oh, so Aspik isn’t cute enough to ask out?” he asks. Now that he’s done panicking, he feels like he can tease her again. "Is that it?" 

“No, I just mean…” Multimouse sighs. “I wanted to do this right.”

Aspik wants to tell her that it doesn’t matter, that he’s happy to date her any way he can. But he understands. Too many times, he’s planned something—a dinner with his father, a hangout with his friends—only to have the plan fall apart at the last second. It’s not a good feeling.

“Hey,” he says, taking Multimouse’s hand. “You can still ask me out on Monday, you know.”

“It’s not the same,” she grumbles. “I already asked you out tonight.”

“Hm." Aspik taps his chin. “Then, how about this? I won’t date you unless you ask me out on Monday.”

Multimouse’s mouth falls open in mock outrage. “You won’t date me?”

“I know,” Aspik says, grinning. “I must be crazy.”

“Well," Multimouse says, “I _guess_ I can ask you out on Monday. But only if you promise to say yes.”

Aspik can’t smile any more than he already is, but his face warms at Multimouse’s words. She’s going to ask him out. On a date. With her. It’s almost too good to be true.

“You know I will,” he says.

“So…” Multimouse reaches down and takes Aspik’s other hand. “How did you figure out who I was? I know Ladybug and Chat Noir didn’t tell you.”

“Oh, well, you know,” Aspik says, stalling as he thinks of an excuse. “I, uh, saw you leave your balcony and figured it out. I’m at the top of our class, you know. I’m smart.” 

“So smart that you couldn’t keep it to yourself?”

“Hey,” Aspik says, laughing. “And how did _you_ know who I was? I’m pretty sure you didn’t see me leave my house, or you wouldn’t have been so surprised to see me running around near your balcony.”

“R-right.” Multimouse glances away. “Um…I…”

“Did Ladybug say something?”

“Maybe?”

Aspik can sense that Multimouse is uncomfortable, her hands not quite clasping his, her eyes refusing to leave the ground. For whatever reason, she doesn’t want to tell him how she found out his identity.

“Never mind that,” he says. “Marinette, since we know each other’s identities, I want to tell you: I’m so, so sorry I blew you off earlier. And I know I already said that an hour or two ago, but I didn’t realize you knew who I was, so it wasn’t really an apology.” He holds their joined hands up between them. “You were just trying to make me feel better, because you’re amazing, and sweet, and thoughtful, and kind—and I didn’t appreciate it because I’m rude and self-centered and—”

“Hey!” Multimouse says. “Watch it, Aspik. Don’t say mean things about the boy I’m going to ask out.”

“You could do better,” Aspik says, smirking. “Say, a superhero, maybe?”

“And where would I find one of those?” Multimouse asks, mirroring his smile.

“How do you feel about snakes?”

“As a mouse? Not a big fan.” Multimouse laughs and shakes her head. “Anyway...Adrien, you don’t need to apologize. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me. And we cheered each other up in the end, didn’t we?”

“You always do,” Aspik murmurs. “Thank you, Marinette. Really. I’m so glad you’re in my life.”

“Oh.” Multimouse smiles, and Aspik thinks she might be blushing. “I—I’m lucky to have you, too.”

They stand there for a moment, holding hands, staring into each other’s eyes. Aspik is so tempted to kiss her that he nearly loses his mind.

He clears his throat. “As I was saying earlier, before I blew both our covers…you _do_ have to get up early tomorrow morning, right?”

Multimouse shrugs. “I’m not helping my parents until ten or so.”

“That’s pretty early for you.” Aspik smiles, then gives her hands a squeeze. “I’ll see you around, then?”

Multimouse nods. Taking a deep breath, Aspik leans forward and presses a light kiss to her cheek. He feels her skin heat under his lips.

“Bonne nuit, Marinette,” he whispers against her cheek, then pulls away.

Multimouse stares at him, eyes wide, mouth slightly open. Aspik has taken three steps toward the edge of the roof when she snaps out of her stupor.

“Hey!” she says. “You—you can’t just a kiss a girl who likes you on the cheek like that!”

Hearing her words, Aspik has an idea. A very, very dumb idea. Pulse speeding up, he twists his bracelet to activate Second Chance, then turns around.

“So, I need your input on something,” he says.

Multimouse frowns. “I—what?”

“And in the interest of full disclosure,” Aspik says, “I activated Second Chance five seconds ago. Anyway, here’s the thing—”

“Wait,” Multimouse says. “Why are you using Second Chance?”

Aspik rubs the back of his neck. “Well, you said, _You can’t just kiss a girl who likes you on the cheek like that._ And, uh, see…I had this idea that I could turn around all super-smooth and be like, _You’re right._ And then I could walk up to you and spontaneously kiss you like in the movies and it would be super romantic?” Aspik’s face burns as he speaks. It’s so embarrassing to admit the thought out loud, and he can’t wait to undo this conversation. “But, um, I definitely need your permission to kiss you. I mean, I can’t just kiss you without warning!”

“Wait,” Multimouse says. “What does this have to do with—”

“So, I figured I’d ask, um…is that something I can do? Like, turn back time and do that? Then again, I guess you wouldn’t remember giving me permission, so it wouldn’t really count as consent, would it?”

“Wait,” Multimouse says a third time. “Are you…asking me for consent to sweep me off my feet?”

“Oh!” Aspik says, snapping his fingers. “Or I could walk up and take your hand, and say, _May I?_ And then I could kiss you. But I didn’t know if that would interrupt the flow of things. Would you rather I do it passionately without saying anything? It’s up to you. Or I could just not kiss you! I don’t have to. I can use Second Chance and then we literally never had this conversation. Um…your choice.”

His face feels like it’s being roasted over an open fire. Words. Why did he ever think it was a good idea to say words? One of his powers should be the inability to speak. He wouldn’t embarrass himself half as much if he could only make hissing noises.

“So you’re giving me options for our first kiss?” Multimouse says, her head tilted to the side.

“Yes?” Aspik says. He’s fully prepared for Multimouse to laugh in his face—in which case he is one hundred-percent using Second Chance, because he doesn’t need to add that humiliation to his List of Bad Things That Happened This Week.

“Hm.” Multimouse smiles, which only makes Aspik more nervous. Is she smiling because she wants him to kiss her? Or is she smiling because she’s about to burst out laughing at him? “Let me see…”

She walks up to him, and for a moment, Aspik wonders if she’s about to just shove him off the roof. But then she takes his hand and looks up at him, eyes sparkling in the moonlight, and he realizes that maybe everything is okay.

“I think,” Multimouse says, “that I like _this_ option.”

Slowly enough that Aspik could stop her if he wanted to, she stands on her tiptoes and presses her lips to his.

Aspik squeezes her hand and wraps his free arm around her waist, tugging her closer until there’s no space left between them. The kiss is everything he could ask for: soft, gentle, sweet. He feels his remaining worries drift away, until the only things on his mind are her hand in his hand, and her lips against his lips—and of course, her name, _Marinette,_ a word he’s cherished since they met, a word that never fails to bring a smile to his face. 

They pull away from each other after a few seconds, which is good—Aspik thinks he might have melted into a puddle if the kiss lasted any longer. Even now, his bones and muscles feel liquid, and he’s not sure that his legs are strong enough to carry him home. 

“W-wait,” he says, realization crashing over him. “But our first kiss—now I can’t—”

“Don’t you dare use Second Chance,” Multimouse says, her fingers wrapping around his Miraculous. “I don’t want a do-over.”

“Of course not,” Aspik says. “But…didn’t you want…”

Multimouse laughs. “I _want_ to remember that you’re a dork who tried to give me options for our first kiss. Silly snake.”

Aspik glances away. “Sorry. I was trying to make it romantic.”

“No, no!” Multimouse says. “Adrien, that would have been really romantic! But I like you unrehearsed.” She reaches up and cups his cheek with her free hand, tilting it to face her. “That said, if you ever want to be spontaneous in the future and sweep off my feet…by all means, you have my permission.”

Smiling, Aspik leans down until his lips are brushing hers. “I’ll keep that in mind when you ask me out on Monday.”

“You’d better,” Multimouse says, and then she tugs him into a knee-weakening kiss that guarantees he’ll be slithering home.

On Monday, when Marinette finally asks Adrien out, he responds by dipping her in his arms and kissing her senseless—and that, of course, ends up being the start of a very good week. 

**Author's Note:**

> "But Sunny, what about Gabriel?" you ask. "Won't he break them up like he did in Chat Blanc?" No, because in my world, nothing can conquer the power of Adrienette. Their love is u n s t o p p a b l e ✊


End file.
